Thank you from Kerala

Thanks to generous donations from supporters around the world, we have delivered life-saving food, cooking kits and stoves to thousands of families following devastating floods in Kerala, India.

More than a million people had to seek refuge in temporary camps during the worst flooding to hit the region in over a century. Many families returned to their towns and villages to find their homes badly damaged, their possessions washed away, and their crops and livelihoods destroyed.

In the aftermath of the disaster, we worked with BREAD, our longstanding partner in India, to deliver essential supplies of rice, cooking equipment and portable gas stoves to families in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

Father Joson Thakaran, who leads BREAD, coordinated the relief effort in his home state of Kerala. He said: “When returning from the relief camps, people were greeted with muck, slush and dirt, which was knee deep in some homes. Some houses have sunk, in others, the walls have cracked. Clearing up the mess has been a daunting task.

“The local people are very grateful for this bag of rice and essential cooking items from Marys Meals. At this time of great need, the hope provided by Mary’s Meals has made a massive difference to the lives of those people most affected by the flooding.”

Together, we provide emergency food to 13,000 families in two of the worst affected villages in the flood-ravaged Alappuzha district. In this video of the final day of food distributions, Father Joson talks about the difference your help is making.

Among those receiving support were Kunjanna Klathilkulam and her family, who had to run for their lives when their home became submerged by the floods. Kunjanna struggled through the rising waters with her heavily pregnant daughter, Saumya, and young granddaughter, Jiya, to reach the safety of a relief camp.

Kunjanna and her granddaughter Jiya.

As many roads were flooded, volunteers delivered heavy, 25kg bags of rice to hungry households by truck and boat. We also distributed 2,000 cooking kits – containing pots, pans and cooking utensils – and 1,000 portable gas stoves to families that were identified by their communities as being most in need.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder and global chief executive of Mary’s Meals, said: “I want to thank everyone whose kind donations have made our relief effort in Kerala possible. The incredible outpouring of generosity and compassion that I have witnessed from people around the world in response to this terrible disaster is truly humbling.

“As a result of your kindness, we have been able to reach out in solidarity and support to many thousands of families who have lost their crops, their possessions and their means of making a living. Together, we are helping devastated communities in Kerala to get back on their feet.”

Thank you so much for helping families to feed themselves while they begin the daunting task of rebuilding their lives.